


One to Two

by FullmetalSunshine (Baekhanded)



Series: Royed OTPoly [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Cats, Fondness, M/M, Silly, alchemy gone wrong, but not in the way you thing, catboy, chimera experimentation, chimeraism, implied RoyEd, light hearted, lowkey human transmutation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25048432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baekhanded/pseuds/FullmetalSunshine
Summary: Edward was in charge of an experiment: How to separate chimeras without killing them.Only he messes up his array, and there's a surprise in store for everyone.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Series: Royed OTPoly [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814119
Comments: 10
Kudos: 75
Collections: RoyEd OTPoly 2020





	One to Two

**Author's Note:**

> Position name: Central HQ  
> Property name: Lab 5  
> Prompt: An experiment goes wrong: Either Ed or Roy attempt a new kind of alchemy and fail miserably. Word count: 552-856  
> House level: It takes a whole crew to fix the damage. The embarrassment is strong with this one. Word count: 732-1862  
> Hotel level: Max word count: 3752

Ed had been locked up in his room for  _ days _ now. No one had seen hide nor hair of him for the entire time. That was a bit dramatic, he’d had a  _ research project _ . For his  _ job _ that needed to be done. And he wasn’t locked in his room, well not  _ really _ . He was in the library, surrounded by his books and his notes. Tucked neatly away into a corner where no one could bother him or mess him up. It was all….theoretical and messing up could be catastrophic. To the subject and Ed’s psyche. 

It was a long time coming though, and it really...well they said  _ passion project.  _ Right? Ed was certainly passionate about there never being another Nina again. He didn’t want to be the reason anyone died again. Not like  _ this.  _ He figured he had the  _ theory  _ down. All his tests on  _ paper  _ worked like magic. (Or, well science, because it was  _ science.) _

Now he just needed to be brave enough to  _ try _ the project, try his hypothesis and pray it worked. How could he do that without hurting something though? The military had a reserve of chimera they’d captured from other mad alchemist's playing god. He didn’t want to go right to the source and fuck up a living breathing creature…   
  
Maybe….oh that was an idea. Now all he had to do was get Al to agree.

  
  


\---

“No! Absolutely not Brother!” Al was aghast, and he held Ed’s decided upon victim close to his chest. Ed stared up at his brother. He had never been able to regain his height or anything, which was truly a shame. He was working on not getting so  _ angry _ though.

“Al, you know I’m not gonna let anything happen! I promise Duo will be alright!” he would beg, Al shouldn’t test him like this. “It’s for the greater good!”   
  
Oh, well that wasn’t the right thing to say. Al’s face darkened, turned serious and he  _ frowned _ “Brother, you know I trust you. I trust you with my life- my  _ soul.  _ But on the  _ best _ of days you aren’t a cat lover, and Duo especially is your arch nemesis! Let me look over your notes, and let me be in the room when you do it and  _ maybe _ i’ll agree!”    
  
Y'know...not bad conditions! Especially if it worked, Al would have  _ two  _ cats! 

He held out his arm, “Deal.”   
  
Al smiled, but Ed felt a shiver go down his spine at the mischievous notes behind those bright eyes…

Al took his hand before he could rethink, and gave it a firm shake. “Tomorrow then! Lunchtime I should be finished reading your theory and notes, and you’ll have that time to set up the array!   
  
Why did it feel like he’d sold his soul to the devil…

  
  


\---

  
  


The next day came and Ed was sequestered in his room. His practice room, which was actually a storage closet, he got perks like that for experiments. They regretted it when they found out his experiments were always interesting, but also helpful!

He was covered in chalk dust, and he wiped his forehead as he looked it all over. That mark there...that line here...that symbol allllll the way over there. It looked perfect.

In theory. 

He worried his lower lip. Really even though he hated Duo with every fibre of his being, he didn’t want to hurt the stupid thing. Al’s trust in him...meant more than his little brother would know.

He didn’t have long to worry until the door popped open and Al waltzed in, papers in one hand and a cat carrier in the other.   
  
“Well Brother, it looks...perfect to me. And I can see why you’d rather risk a chimera  _ cat _ than one of the military reserves… Every new experiment needs some way to test the theories and...well if anything happens I won’t hold it against you.” He came in, closed the door.

He set the papers on the floor beside the array, between their feet. Then he placed Duo in the center and gave the cat a gentle pet, “Be good and stay, okay?” The cat meowed in response and sat like a good boy he was only for Al. Ed rolled his eyes at the exchange.

“Okay, Al. Gimme some room, just in case things get ugly.” He shooed Al behind the ‘watch only’ wall and took a deep breath.

There were only two ways this was going to end…

He clapped his hands and a blinding light filled the room. A good sign,

But he was wrong. He was very, very wrong.

There were a couple more options than he had anticipated.

Or at the very least  _ one _ more option.   
  
It just so happened that was what he had gotten.

One was: Yay! It Worked! Time To Celebrate!   
Two was: Oh...that's a dead cat, Sorry Al i'll buy you eight more.

And three was….well...

  
  


\---

  
  


He didn’t know, not at first. When the light went out and the smoke cleared (who had added smoke? Dramatic much?) Nothing seemed….different really. Duo maybe looked a little darker. Did it work? Did he just...wipe half the dna? He tilted his head and crawled a careful approach.

He held a hand out, and Duo sniffed it, then looked at him, then tilted his own head.

“Brother! Did it work? What happened is Duo alr-!!” He cut himself off with a choked sound. Ed’s head snapped around to look at him.    
  
“Al? What’s wrong are you alright?” He jumped up, cat and experiment forgotten. Had he fucked up that badly? Had Al somehow gotten caught in the crossfire? Was it from  _ his  _ hair on the cat? But...no. Al looked alright aside from some laughter and extra sparkly eyes. What the hell?   
  
“What the hell?” He voiced his thoughts, arms crossing and eyes narrowing.

Al just laughed, “Oh brother. I have  _ no  _ idea where you went wrong, but now I  _ need  _ to know!”

What the  _ hell?!  _ He bared his teeth at his brother, who only laughed more. He looked like he was about to pass out actually.    
  
“What are you laughing at! Nothing happened Al! It might as well be a damn dye job!” He barely refrained from stomping his foot.

He felt something on his leg and looked down. Pausing at what he saw. What the hell. He wanted to cry. Why was Duo rubbing against him? The cat hated his  _ guts.  _ It distracted him enough not to notice Al wander the room or catch his laughter.

“Brother, I don’t know how you did it...but your array  _ did  _ do something.” He held up a...mirror?    
  
Ed looked, and immediately paled.

No….no  _ way.  _ That’s impossible!! He felt red start  _ flooding  _ his face- hell he saw it too! 

His tail twitches in his embarrassment. Yeah that’s right. His  _ tail.  _

He had somehow turned him _ self  _ into a cat!   
  
Or...at least he got the ears and tail. Maybe the claws and eyes too.  _ Definitely  _ the teeth. His mouth was filling with blood as he bit the inside of his cheek.

He had no idea how to reverse it. He didn’t know what caused the  _ problem _ .   
  
“It...kinda worked though?” Al tried to placate him. Ed was mortified when he reached out to pet an ear. He would have died on the spot if he had the power when a vicious purr ripped from his throat at the touch. Al looked delighted. Ed wanted to die.

  
  


\---

  
  


It had been about a week since  _ anyone  _ had seen Edward. And that  _ wasn’t _ an exaggeration. The most they’d gotten were brief, bitten phone calls and reports handed in through Al. Which- it wasn’t  _ too  _ odd, but no one knew where the petite blonde  _ was _ , and the team was starting to worry.

When it hit a full week since his experiment, they all split up.    
  
No Fullmetal in the library.

No Fullmetal in the cafeteria.

No Fullmetal in the barracks or training grounds or nap rooms or  _ anywhere.  _   
  
Al wouldn’t tell them a thing, but every time they asked he got a sparkle in his eye that just made them more curious, more wary. Not too worried per se...Al would have looked more concerned if Edward was hurt or upset...but this was too odd.

“I think he’s at home…” Feury voiced after he and Havoc had gone on an Out Of Area recon. 

“Yeah, hear’d Al say he was ‘home brother,’ so we can assume he’s at least safe at home.” Havoc pondered through his unlit cigarette, staring at the ceiling thoughtful.

“Maybe he’s sick?” Breda piped up.

“No report.” Feury sighed, “Besides, Alphonse would have just said…”   
  
“He’d come in half dead anyways,” Roy said, having been quiet until now.

The others looked to him but it was Riza that broke the silence, “You should pay them a visit after work today, sir.”

A fine black brow rose at her words. Yeah after work but that was interesting. “I think I might...you all are right, this has been going on for far too long with no satisfactory news.”   
  
He knew Riza knew he was worried. At least he had permission to go find out now.

The moment the work day was through (and all his paperwork was finished, thank you very much. No threats on his life  _ today!)  _ he made his way to where he knew the Elric brothers called home.

It was a small place, stuffed between two much nicer buildings. It was two stories and looked like it was built like a hundred years ago. They could absolutely afford better, Roy didn’t really see the charm, but he had no room to judge their taste. At least not out loud.    
  
He stepped up to the door and knocked, patiently waiting for Al to answer. There was little to no chance it would be Edward.

He waited……...and waited….then he waited some more.

Then finally, “Go away no one's home!” It was clearly Edward, sounding very….different.

“Fullmetal? You certainly don’t  _ sound  _ like yourself. I am here to ascertain your wellbeing. I would appreciate it if you let me in.” Did- was that a hiss? How many cats did Al have in there?   
  
“I’m  _ fine  _ bastard, just...busy…” He still sounded off and now Roy was beginning to worry.

“Edward, let me in.” His tone must have betrayed his concern, because after a strained minute or two, and a lot of clattering on the other end of the door, it opened.

He slowly pushed his way in, even if Edward was trying to keep him  _ out _ . Nothing looked too out of place, there were more books than usual but nothing too  _ un _ usual. He scanned slowly until he looked at Edward. He was…..wearing a hat. Which Roy supposed a person could wear a hat in their own home, but Roy had never once seen the other wear a hat. His hair was loose though and that briefly distracted him from how damn  _ dark  _ the room was. 

“Edward?” he sounded unsure, even to his own ears.

Edward was shuffling on his feet, staring at them too. He looked very uncomfortable.

“Did...the experiment go awry?” It wouldn’t explain the spark in Al’s eyes, but it would explain Ed’s behavior…

Every muscle in Edwards body was tense, poised to run and hide. Just what the hell had happened?   
  
Eventually he sighed, a small defeated sound which worried Roy the most of all.

“Something like that…”   
  
“Did the...subject...pass?” That was the only way he could ask, kindly, if the cat died.

Edward shook his head and crouched to pick up….a cat, “It probably worked, but I don’t know.”    
  
“Edward...please i’m at a loss here.” He wanted to reach out to touch the other, but he held back.

He was hesitant, beyond hesitan. But Roy watched the embarrassment and hesitation face to frustration then acceptance.

“Fine but don’t- don’t fuckin’ laugh okay? I’m more dangerous now than i’ve ever been.” That had Roy worried.

“I promise, Edward. I will not laugh.” He swore. Going as far to cross his heart.

Ed lifted his (very) overlarged sweater a bit and removed his hat all at once. Roy didn’t know what to look at first, but the twitching golden triangles on Edwards little golden head. Then he spotted the nervously twitching tail behind him.

All self control flew out the window as he reached out to rub an ear. Shock and awe slamming in to him as Edward- the feisty fiery fullmetal alchemist,  _ purred  _ like an engine and leaned into the touch. And really, Roy might not be a cat person, but he was only a man. He couldn’t help but continue rubbing the ear, slowly reaching his other hand to mimic on the other. He felt small hands grip his shirt and he could swear the purring could send them both to the moon.

He unconsciously pulled the other closer, hand leaving one ear (to an irritated little huff and a glint of gold eye peeking at him unhappily) to trail along that tail.   
  
Edward went fully stiff and Roy almost pulled away, but then the now cat-Edward just melted against him, startling him to wrap the other into his arms.

“How did this even happen?” His voice was soft, and absolutely betraying his fondness.

Edward still purred, and Roy found his hand was rubbing the other’s back.

“Dunno...fucked something up...been trying to reverse it…” He sounded...so  _ happy _ . 

“I think you should get the team on this, Edward.”   
  
The catboy in his arms stiffened again and glared up at Roy, “They’ll all wanna pet me too, i know it. I’ll never hear the end of it, I'm already in for a lifetime of teasing from Al, I don't need it from you all too.”   
  
“Honestly Edward, I feel they’re going to be overjoyed. While not your intent, this is quite an interesting find. I won’t try to lie to you, it’s quite charming.” He returned to petting the tail and Edward  _ shivered.  _

“Bastard…” Edwards' voice was weak but he knew he’d give in, “fine...but they  _ aren’t  _ allowed to pet me, and you’re gonna keep it a secret from everyone else.  _ No one else _ can know about this!”    
  
“Until the official report is filed, but I’m sure we can fudge some specifics…” Edward glowered and Roy grinned.

For now though...he had to take as full advantage of this as Edward would let him, “Tomorrow.”   
  
Edward looked up at him curiously, then his eyes sparkled. And god, were they even shinier than usual? A man could fall and fall hard into this boy made of gold.

“Can I keep you till then?”    
  
“Isn’t that my line?”   
  
And really, he had.

  
  


\---

  
  


It turns out Edward was right, as usual. Everyone  _ did  _ want to pet him, but he only allowed Riza. And he did so smugly. Roy would file away the memory of the other’s jealous, shocked looks in a special place in his heart. Only she, Al and Roy himself were lucky enough to pet their new golden pet.

In the days that followed, they poured over the notes and arrays on the papers. No one came up with anything and it was starting to look hopeless. Only Roy knew that Edward wasn’t  _ too  _ upset with the outcome, if he wasn’t a public figure, he wouldn’t have minded staying this way. 

Roy knew he liked the sounds he could pull from the smaller from the gentlest of touches. 

It was when they all hit another dead end and all of Edward’s body language fell that Al finally gave in. 

“I have a confession…” Al admitted to the silence of the room. (Silent all but for the sad purrs from Ed, as Riza couldn’t help herself from giving him conciliatory pets.)    
  
They all looked to him curiously. Ed’s ears quirked and his head went with it, it was hard not to coo.

“I’ve….known the problem since the start.” He was met once more with silence, but actual silence.

Until Ed exploded, “AL!? WHAT THE HELL?!”

If it was anyone else Edward would have lunged across the table.

Al laughed and held his hands up, carefully positioning himself behind the others, “It was just- you’re so cute, brother… and I know you aren’t as upset as you put on! I spotted it after it’d had happened, just one small blip. And I’ll help you fix it, I promise! It should make things perfect then! But….well...I just thought it would be nice for you.”   
  
“ _ How.” _ _   
_ _   
_ “Well, everyone would be able to see the true you! And how you’re feeling! You wouldn’t be able to bottle things up if your ears betray you...and it...well seeing how easy it was to get you to relax- Ed i’ve seen you tense for  _ years _ .” 

  
Of course it was some sweet reason like that. It didn’t hurt, Roy knew that Alphonse loved two things. Edward, and cats. This was like a gift to himself for the rest of his life. 

“Can you reverse it?” Ed asks after a while. Alphonse nods and Ed sighs, “Maybe after all this military, alchemist of the people shit’s over...we can revisit this. But for now I gotta be me- without the extra bits.”

  
Al smiled and nodded. And Roy felt a little bright spot in his chest. When he became as high as he could, maybe...just maybe…

  
  


\---

It was a simple line, a smudge really that had messed it all up. Alphonse fixed it. Edward screamed, then Al reversed the transmutation with everyone watching. There was a little bit of an air of disappointment when their smallest returned to normal.

And just like Edward had anticipated. At his feet was another feline, gold in color. 

The chimera cat split into twins. 

**Author's Note:**

> I had a blast with this ngl, i was distraught then the answer came to me :CATBOY!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> none of this makes sense dont ask me questions please


End file.
